New Republic of Ireland
The New Republic of Ireland (Irish: Nua Poblacht na hÉireann), also referred to colloquially as New Ireland, is a post-war group based on the island of Ireland in the British Isles. Founded just shy of half a century after the Great War, its primary goal is the continuation of the former Republic of Ireland and the eventual reunification of Ireland. At one point, it controlled over half of Ireland. In recent years, it has been at war with several other factions, including the Irish Communist Party, the pagan tribe known as the Celts, and the Kingdom of England. History The New Republic of Ireland has had a long and colorful history as the longest existing political movement in post-war Ireland. Early Years Due to its relatively neutral policies, the Republic of Ireland was spared the worst of the nuclear holocaust. But as radiation began to reach the country from the north and from the rest of Europe, order quickly began to break down. Ireland's modest military was unable to prevent anarchy, and the government fell just months after the Great War. As radiation killed crops, livestock, and people, most Irishmen and Irishwomen were content with fleeing to the countryside in an attempt to escape radiation. For almost 50 years, people lived in small communities in rural areas, mostly in southern and eastern Ireland. However, in early 2123, a group of survivors living just outside of Dublin, many of whom were direct descendants of former Irish politicians and military personnel, officially organized the New Irish Republic, claiming Dublin as its capital. The only problem was that Dublin was split between several warring factions of raiders. So, the leaders of the New Republic began forming a volunteer force to take Dublin by force. Eventually, with a force of over 250 volunteers gathered from all around the surrounding countryside, the Republicans slowly but surely retook Dublin. Declaring the General Post Office as the official government building, the Republic began attempting to rebuild the capital city and the Irish Republic. The Republic quickly began to spread its influence, attracting people from all over the Irish countryside. Numerous cities and settlements began to come under its swing within its first quarter century of existence, including Waterford, Cork, Carlow, and the settlements of Easterfield and Daingean. Some of these, especially Waterford and Cork, were key sites for developing ports, allowing expeditions to be sent to the rest of the British Isles and mainland Europe. The Ulster War By 2158, with most of coastal eastern Ireland firmly under its control, the New Republic began an attempt to annex Northern Ireland. At first, some settlements accepted the New Republic as its soldiers moved north. But it quickly turned sour. Many people in the north inherited their parents' and grandparents' British and Unionist sentiments, and, just as in the case of pre-war Ireland, were completely opposed to joining the Irish Republic. War, which would soon be known simply as the Ulster War, broke out. The New Irish won several early victories, pushing the Ulster volunteer forces all the way into Belfast. The volunteers dug in, pushing back a Republican assault on the city, forcing them to lay siege to the city. The Siege of Belfast lasted two and a half weeks, from May 3 to May 20, 2158, as the NIRA continuously and unavailingly assaulted the city's defenses, forcing the New Republic to eventually sue for peace. This would be a major victory for the people of Northern Ireland, leading to the creation of the Independent State of Ulster. Although tensions would remain high between the New Republic and Ulster, war would be evaded as the Republicans decided to leave the people of Ulster to their own devices. Foreign Aid In late 2158, the New Republic came into contact with the Scottish Republic after sending diplomats to Scotland. Based in the Highlands of Scotland, this newly born and fledgling republic was constantly harassed by raiders, tribes, and wildlife. Despite still having to recover from the Ulster War, the Irish president pledged his support to the Scottish Republic, sending a company of soldiers into its territory by the end of the year. Even during the winter, raider activity did not cease in the slightest. The need for a special operations group began to rise, leading to the formation of the Army Ranger Wing. Picked from the best of the NIRA, the Army Rangers not only aided the regular Army in training Scottish volunteers, but also were extremely effective at infiltrating and rooting out raider strongholds. By the end of 2160, raider activity was incredibly scarce in the Highland region, allowing the Scottish to settle new lands. The New Irish government's substantial aid provided to the Scottish led to the strong diplomatic and financial ties still held by the two nations. During this period of time a group called the Kingdom of England had expanded into Wales. Upon learning of this, aid was sent to Welsh rebels, primarily the Welsh Liberation Front. Aid consisted of Army Rangers, supplies, and training for Welsh rebels. This aid proved to be invaluable, and the Welsh were able to stave off the English invasion, leaving the Kingdom of England in a weaker and more vulnerable state that it would remain in for several decades. Spread of Communism In the late 2170s and early 2180s, the citizens of the New Republic could only watch as extremist socialist and communist ideals began to surge in the independent states of southwest Ireland. The New Republic failed to recognize this as a threat until 2185, when several of the settlements and city-states combined to form the Irish Communist Party. This unified communist state went around, annexing or destroying settlements who refused to join them. The New Republic was forced to intervene in early 2186 when the communists threatened to destroy the city-state of Síochánta, a protectorate of the New Republic. The NIRA dispatched two companies from the 7th Infantry Battalion as well as two dozen Army Rangers to the city, demanding the communists to leave. They refused, thus sparking the Republican-Communist War that would last for 3 whole years. The New Republic, reluctant to wage an offensive campaign after the disaster of the Ulster War, spent most of the war defending settlements from the communists. However, a year and a half into the conflict, things were beginning to look bleak. Slowly but surely, the communists were making their way into Republican territory. The Independent State of Ulster, which had remained isolationist since the Ulster War, realized that if the New Republic fell, the communists would have no trouble invading Ulster. Thus, the Northern Irish provided weapons, armor, ammunition, and financial aid to their old enemies. The Scottish also began to send aid, sending troops into Ireland in mid-2187. The tide of the war began to turn in the favor of the NIRA once again, and the Army managed to push the communists out. Realizing the need to prevent the situation they had just gotten out of from occurring again, Irish generals began plans to invade communist territory. These plans finally came to fruition in February of 2189, when the entirety of the Army's 1st Brigade marched into communist territory. The NIRA was welcomed in some settlements, and despised in others, but the invasion was a huge success nonetheless. The communists sued for peace, and the NIR was given all settlements that wanted to join the Republic, while others became independent protectorates of the New Republic. Anglo-Scottish War and the Isle of Man In 2197, several NIRA battle groups, consisting mostly of Army Rangers and engineers, were deployed to Scotland in an effort to drive off a recent invasion by the Kingdom of England, finally managing to recover from its disastrous attempt at occupying former Wales. These troops played mostly a support role in backing up Scottish troops as they defended their territory. Despite the Irish support, the English managed to push fairly far into Scottish territory, besieging the city of Dundee, only 106 kilometers from the capital of Aberdeen. In a desperate attempt to split English forces, the Irish agreed to invade the English-held Isle of Man, effectively declaring official war on the state for the first time. On February 12, 2202, at 3:15 hours, 250 Army Rangers landed on the western-most tip of the Isle, at Port Erin. The Rangers came under heavy fire from English gun positions in nearby buildings. The troops managed to sweep into the port city, neutralizing the gun positions and taking heavy casualties in the process. Within the first hour and a half, 26 Rangers had been killed, 47 had been wounded, and 3 were unaccounted for. At 4:50, as a battalion of regular Army soldiers began landing at the port, a pair of artillery guns based at a nearby golf course began opening fire. The shells killed another 13 men and injured 25 more. However, the invasion continued on its way, and by noon that day Port Erin and the surrounding area had been secured. Simultaneously, a regular Army company took the smaller, lightly defended Calf of Man, receiving only three casualties and killing seven English soldiers, the rest surrendering quickly. Within the next few weeks, NIRA forces managed to push east, reaching the town of Douglas. Meanwhile, on the Scottish front, the diversion had worked. The sudden invasion and shocked the English forces and forced them to pull forces from Scotland and send them to the Isle, a move which took several weeks at the least. This allowed Scottish forces to push the English out of Dundee and back past Edinburgh. The English move, however, ended up being utterly useless in the end; the Irish had reached and secured the eastern point of the island by March 16 of that same year, and were simply working on clearing out any English holdouts left. Eventually, the English were forced to give in, pulling their forces from Scotland and giving up the Isle of Man for good. Expansion After the successful war against the Kingdom of England, the Republic focused its attention on expanding its frontier. Late 2202 through 2267 was the largest period of expansion in the Republic's history. During this period, settlers began to expand as far west as they could without entering territory held by communist remnants, as well as expanding to the northwest, mainly setting off from Dublin, Kilkenny, Kildare, and Meath. Trading routes were set up between the Republic and several independent settlements along the new frontier, while other settlements were annexed. The Republic also attempted ventures overseas, even going as far as establishing semi-successful colonies in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, the latter being a collaborative effort between the Irish and the Scottish Republic. With this expansion came a new threat on the frontier, a tribe of violent neo-luddites intent on destroying old-world technology and values, the Celts. Frontier War In 2267, Irish settlers first encountered the pagan tribal conglomerate referred to as the Celts, sparking the beginning of the Southeastern Campaign of the Frontier War. The Celts attacked the poorly defended County Offaly, and began pushing westward towards Síochánta and Dublin. Panicked, the New Irish government quickly mobilised its military, sending it off to face the Celts in the east. Government The New Republic of Ireland is a democratic parliamentary republic based on the principles of pre-war Irish republican ideals https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_republicanism, including total independence, reunification https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Ireland, democracy, and opposition to imperialism. Its executive branch is headed by a Taoiseach, or prime minister, while most power is held in the Oireachtas, or parliament. The two are bound by a system of checks and balances identical to those common in previous old-world democratic nations. Foreign Relations The New Republic takes an enthusiastic approach to diplomacy. It has sent (or at least attempted to send) envoys to many other parts of the world, from Scandinavia, to North America, and North Africa. While very few of these efforts have produced any long-lasting alliances with other, more foreign groups, they have helped establish permanent trade relations, allowing a wide variety of resources from all across the Atlantic. Closer to home, however, the Republic takes a more cautious approach. It treats many newer or smaller factions with suspicion, trusting only a few. On the British Isles, it has only two real allies: the Scottish Republic and the Welsh Liberation Front (now the Republic of Wales). Scottish Republic As it was instrumental in the creation of the Scottish Republic, the NIR is natural very close allies with it. It is the Republic's largest trading partner, and its militaries often train and perform operations together. Welsh Liberation Front/Republic of Wales The New Republic is a major supporter of the WLF, and is its largest supplier of weapons and other important materiel. Irish Army Rangers were often deployed to aid WLF forces in combat against the Kingdom of England. The Irish continue to support the Republic of Wales. Síochánta The Republic respects the powerful city-state's sovereignty, as it is one of its most valuable trading partners. It has pledged its military support to Síochánta and also helps train the city's local militia. The Celts The Celts, being opposed to old-world ideals and technology, are at active war with almost every faction on the island of Ireland, including the New Republic. The Republic has been a leader in fighting the Celts on the frontiers, achieving several victories in areas such as the Curragh and Cork. Kingdom of England The Republic is opposed to the Kingdom of England's imperialist ideas, and is thus natural enemies with them, supporting its enemies and going as far as to wage war against it during the Anglo-Scottish War. New London Republic While not officially allies, the Republic is by no means opposed to the New Londoners, primarily because of their long-time hatred of the Kingdom of England. The New London Republic, in turn, appreciates the Republic's support of English enemies. New Empire of Great Britain Although the Republic is opposed to the ideals of the New Empire, it does not see it as large of a threat as the Kingdom of England is, and has thus been instrumental in negotiating non-aggression pacts between the New Empire and other British factions. Irish Communist Party The Communist Party, for all intents and purposes, collapsed after its war with the New Republic. What remains of it survive and, in rare instances, thrive in small holdouts in the southwest, and continue to be hostile to the NIR, often raiding caravans and smaller settlements. Independent State of Ulster Ever since its failed invasion of Ulster, the Republic has opted to stay isolated from northern affairs. Invasion plans have been drawn up since the war, but have never come to fruition. Ulster, however, has taken a different stance. It is no secret that there are several northern spies in the New Republic. Military Culture Flag The flag of the New Republic of Ireland shares the green-white-orange tricolor of the original Irish flag, with the addition of a sword flanked by four stars, two on each side. The stars represent the four provinces of Ireland, and the sword representing the willingness and readiness of the Republic to fight and defend the hope that the provinces may one day be united. Territory Most of the Republic's territory is on the east coast of Ireland, and thus has access to many vital ports, including Dublin, Waterford, Cork, Cobh, and Arklow. This provides it with connection to the island of Britain as well as mainland Europe. It also controls territory as far north as County Cavan and as far west as Cork and County Westmeath. Colonies Notable citizens Category:Post-war nation Category:Post-War Countries Category:British Isles Category:New Irish Republic